Military protocol with Sudan extended

The Sudanese and Ugandan governments have extended the duration of the validity of a military protocol they signed in March last year, thereby allowing the Ugandan army to continue pursuing the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in southern Sudan. Sudan, however, only agreed to extend the protocol on condition that Uganda would reciprocate by ending its support for the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), a rebel group fighting the Khartoum government in southern Sudan, according to media and diplomatic sources. Under the new terms of the protocol, signed after military talks on 21 February, Ugandan forces are allowed to pursue the LRA - which is has been fighting to overthrow president Yoweri Museveni's government since the mid 1980s - on Sudanese territory until 31 May 2003. The talks had been jointly chaired by Bakri Hasan Salih, the Sudanese minister of national defence, and Ugandan Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi, Sudanese TV reported. The protocol accordingly also included a provision ending Ugandan support for SPLM/A in the form of military supplies or training, according to a senior Sudanese diplomat. Siraj al-Din Hamid, the Sudanese ambassador to Uganda, told IRIN on Monday that military officers from Sudan would be deployed along the borders to monitor the movement of supplies into Sudan. He said the Ugandan side was so far cooperating on its obligations under the terms of the protocol. "Cooperation from Uganda is forthcoming. I believe an understanding was reached on the issue of illicit transfer of arms to the SPLA," Hamid said. "What we wanted was not to allow illicit transfer of arms, or supplies other than humanitarian supplies. And this is a very good step forward." He said the agreement had opened the door to improved bilateral diplomatic ties and future cooperation. A joint ministerial commission is expected to meet between 27 and 29 April to chart the way for future areas of bilateral economic cooperation, according to Hamid.